Background: Morbidity and mortality in diabetes are caused mainly by its vascular complications, both in the microcirculation and in the large vessels with accelerated atherosclerosis. Diabetic retinopathy is the clinical hallmark of microangiopathy which may lead to blindness.
Materials and method: This study was designed in type 2 diabetic patients who were on regular control and treatment in the diabetes clinic of Turgut Ozal Medical Center between June 1994 and February 2000. Six hundred and forty-seven type 2 diabetic patients (274 males and 373 females), aged 53.50 ± 11.02 years were evaluated. The mean diabetes duration was 7.90 ± 6.27 years. Patients were categorized according to the presence of retinopathy.
Results: Retinopathy was encountered in 181 patients (27.97%) (79 males and 102 females), aged 57.63 ± 10.18 years. Their mean diabetes duration were 12.98 ± 6.41 years. Four hundred and sixty-six patients (195 males and 271 females), aged 51.90 ± 10.93 years formed the nonretinopathy group. The mean diabetes duration were 5.93 ± 4.98 years. Hypertension was present in 210 of patients (45.06%) without retinopathy and in 130 patients (71.82%) with retinopathy. In terms of grading of retinopathy, background retinopathy was encountered in 93 (51.4%) patients, preproliferative retinopathy was encountered in 46 (25.4%) patients, and proliferative retinopathy was encountered in 42 (23.2%) patients. When retinopathy was compared with diabetes duration, background retinopathy was highly encountered in patients with a duration of 6-10 years, preproliferative retinopathy was seen the most in 11-15 years, and proliferative retinopathy was found to be higher in >15 years. When presence of hypertension was investigated in these patients, we found out that 52.4% of patients in group 1 (patients with diabetes duration of 0-5 years), 75.4% of patients in group 2 (6-10 years), 64% of patients in group 3 (11-15 years), and 85.3% of patients in group 4 (>15 years) were hypertensive. Conclusion: The presence of hypertension should be investigated in patients with diabetic retinopathy and if present, should be treated aggressively. We need further studies in diabetic patients to consider the frequency and stage of retinopathy in normotensive, hypertensive, and aggresively treated hypertensive groups.
Key Words: Type 2 diabetes, duration, retinopathy, hypertension
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